Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy Honours 134 Artists; Six Receive Upendra Bhanja Samman

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy on Wednesday presented the Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman, Academy Awards, Upayana, and Kabichandra Kalicharan Yuva Pratibha Samman for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, honouring a total of 134 eminent and young artists from the state.

The Academy’s highest award, Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman, was conferred on six distinguished personalities:
Dr. Pranab Kishore Pattanaik and Badal Sikdar (2023), Mohini Mohan Pattanaik and Sudhakar Sahu (2024), and Ghanashyam Panda and Bhagabat Pradhan (2025). Each received ₹5 lakh.

Award amounts for other honours included ₹2.5 lakh for Hindustani Vocal Music Honour, ₹2 lakh for Academy Award recipients, ₹1 lakh for Upayana achievers, and ₹50,000 for youth talent honourees. More than ₹2.5 crore was distributed in total.

Speaking on the occasion, Odisha Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who attended as the chief guest, praised the contribution of artists, saying: “Our artistic legends have enriched Odisha’s culture through lifelong dedication. They are eternally revered.”

MLAs Siddhanta Mahapatra, Akash Das Nayak, and Babu Singh congratulated the awardees and highlighted the role of artists in promoting Odisha’s cultural heritage.

The programme was coordinated by Dr. Chandra Sekhar Hota, Secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy.